Ive been using this website for quite a while and I have loved it. I also have some iPhone apps and the rosetta stone to help me out. In the iPhone app and the Rosetta Stone, the first verbs you learn are eat and drink. I am a little confused. In the iphone app it says that eat is:tabemasu. In the rosetta stone it says its: tabete imasu. I was wondering if the app just combines the separated words for all the verbs, or if you use one in a specific situation.

Tabemasu and tabete imasu are two completely different constructions, but both based off of the same verb - taberu.

Tabemasu is the long-form present tense conjugation of the verb, just the plain 'to eat'.

E.g. Watashi wa aisu-kuriimu wo tabemasu. - I eat ice cream.

Tabete is the te-form of the verb, combined here with the verb imasu. This construction generally means to be carrying out the action described by the verb, or in a state resulting from the verb. In the instance of 'eat', it means the former.